Final Fantasy IX: Novelisation
by Niai
Summary: Chapter 2: The annual play of Alexandria begins, and the plan to kidnap Princess Garnet gets off to a bad start. Currently on hold.
1. The Tribulations of the Tourist

**Final Fantasy IX Novelisation (Working Title)  
Chapter 1:** **The Tribulations of the Tourist**

Garnet's eyes opened, and she immediately sat upright. She then opened her mouth, and screamed. Breathing heavily, she placed her hand down to her chest and felt her heart beating fast. She leaned over and pulled ajar the curtains that surrounded her bed, and calmed down slightly at the sight of the familiar surroundings of her bedroom chamber. Groaning, she raised her hand to her forehead and ran it through her long brown hair.

"Not again, Garnet...," she whispered to herself.

There was a furious stampeding of clunky iron feet, and Garnet groaned again. _Steiner. _The chamber doors burst open, and her rusty armour-clad, somewhat plump bodyguard sprinted inside. He ran towards Garnet and placed his gauntled hands upon her shoulders, shaking her in a manner which made it look like she was experiencing involuntary spasms.

"Princess! What's wrong? Are you hurt? Is there an intruder? SPEAK TO ME!"

Garnet blinked.

"I am perfectly fine, thank you Steiner. I had a bad dream. That is all."

He released his grip, but still didn't sound one hundred percent convinced.

"You are quite alright? Shall I stand guard by your bedside in case you have a relapse, Princess?"

Garnet rolled her eyes, losing her patience.

"I am _not ill_ Steiner. Please resume your place outside the door."

"At once Princess!"

Steiner saluted and ran back out, slamming the door behind him. Garnet sighed in frustration, and let her head collapse back onto her soft pillow. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Steiner. Far from it. A more loyal and devoted guardian you couldn't ask for. He was just... so overprotective.

But she could forget about that for now. She had other things to worry about. For a start, that dream... She'd been having it for a long time, ever since she was a child. But recently she had been dreaming it far more frequently. When she was younger the dream merely confused her. But now, every time she awoke from it she was completely terrified. But what was it in the dream that frightened her so? Garnet gritted her teeth in frustration as she tried to recall what had happened in it. The details were just fleeting away, and the harder she tried to remember the less she was able. It was like trying to keep water cupped in her bare hands. There had been a boat, and a storm, and something in the sky... The rest was just an incomprehensible blur. She yawned wearily, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She'd just have to worry about it later. She couldn't let it distract her, on today of all days. She needed to give it her all, or she wouldn't be able to pull it off...

Tossing her bedclothes aside, Garnet stood up walked over to the window, and drew the curtains. Her eyes winced for a second, momentarily unaccustomed to the daylight. She thrust the window panes open, and looked out upon the sun-filled Alexandrian morning, breathing in the fresh air. Today was her sixteenth birthday. Today would be the day she would get away.

* * *

Meanwhile, far below the window of Princess Garnet's chamber, a young boy was wandering the cobbled streets around the town square. He was extremely lost.

He wore a light blue jacket, a pair of stripy white and turquoise pantaloons, and a pointy steeped hat that fell lopsided halfway down the top. Each of his hands was clad in a red glove and his wrists, in white cuffs. As for his feet, he wore a pair of oversized red boots. _None_ of his clothes seemed to fit him. But that wasn't even the strangest thing about his appearance. The really extraordinary thing was: he had no real face to speak of. When you looked under his hat, all you could see was a dark shadow of nothingness, with two shining yellow lights where his eyes would have normally been. This boy was named Vivi Ornitier and he was a Black Mage. He looked down at the golden ticket which was clenched tightly between his hands. It read:

_**Come see the all-time classic love story.**_

_**'I WANT TO BE YOUR CROW'**_

_**A tragic tale of destiny, cursed memories, dreams, and life and death.**_

At that moment, a large crowd of people dressed in extravagant clothes walked past. Vivi looked up.

"Umm... Excuse me," said Vivi, hopelessly. "C-can you help me f-find...?"

One lady who was wearing a particularly extravagant lilac bonnet looked down to see where the noise had come from. She briefly raised her eyebrows, and then continued on her way. Vivi looked downwards, embarassed. He should have known they wouldn't be pleased. He wondered if he could find someone else who would give him directions, but he was now scared of upsetting anyone. Maybe he could work out from the direction people were walking in where the castle was... But the square was jam-packed. and people were walking left, right and center, backwards and forwards, round and round. They could have been going literally _anywhere._ As if he didn't have enough problems, seeing so many people in one place was making him feel very dizzy. He hoped he wasn't going to be sick, because if he vomited all over the street that would surely annoy people even more. Just then, he momentarily forgot his troubles, as he he heard a great rumbling noise from above that made him look to the skies. Flying high in the sky above the rooftops was a magnificent airship, the most beautiful one he had ever seen. The boy followed the ship with his eyes, captivated as it sailed majestically overhead the rooftops.

* * *

The ship was called the Prima Vista, and inside it at that particular moment, a young man with long blonde hair and a tail pushed the cabin door open, and entered. The lights were all out. Had the others not arrived yet? He felt through his trouser pocket for a box of matches he liked to carry around, walked toward the center of the room and lit the candle that sat on the table. 

"Who's there?" shouted a voice that came from behind the door to his right. Someone had heard him.

"It's me, Zidane!"

The door burst open, and out came Blank, Marcus, and Cinna, three other members of Tantalus.

"Hey, Zidane," greeted Marcus.

"You sure took your sweet time getting here," said Blank irritably.

"Sorry about that," he said, scratching his head. "Where's the boss?"

"Still not here. Probably off stuffing his face at the back of the ship."

The door at the top of the stairs sprang open and a heavy figure leaped down towards them. It was wearing fur boots, a pair of green shorts, and a white shirt that had a small red waistcoat over it. The head was covered by an oversized blue mask in the design of a dragon.

"Haha. Very funny, boss."

Blank withdrew his sword from his belt, stepped forward and swiped the mask off, revealing a furry head with a purple beard, goggles, and a pair of bat-like ears. It was Baku, the leader of Tantalus.

"Ow! Go easy, Blank. I was only foolin' around. It was a prop I found in the back. Like it?"

"Hilarious," he replied sarcastically.

"Hey, guys? All this standing around is great fun and everything, but aren't we meant to be going over the plan?" suggested Cinna.

"Right, right," said Baku. "Everyone, get inside the meeting room."

They all crammed inside the small room to the right, and sat down around a rounded table.

"Listen up," began Baku. "Right now, we're flyin' through the Kingdom of Alexandria. Our mission: to kidnap Princess Garnet Til Alexanderos the seventeenth, Heir to the Throne of Alexandria, and bring 'er back to Lindblum. Preferably in one piece, and without any permanent brain damage. Cinna, you take it from here."

"Right. When we dock the ship in Alexandria we're gonna put on our costumes. We'll be peforming 'I want to be your Canary' by Lord Avon, the most popular play in Alexandria and top of the box office ten years running. Break a leg, Marcus, 'cause you're playing the lead."

"That's right. Leave that department to me. Zidane and Blank are gonna be the real kidnappers."

Blank nodded.

"During the interlude, I'll distract the audience with these."

Blank reached under the table and pulled out a cage with a white cover draped over it. He laid the cage on the table, and pulled off the cover, revealing it to be full of slimy fat little insects.

"Oglops..." said Marcus, shivering.

Blank nodded.

"That's right. Oglops. They're so disgusting, even the bravest tend to run a mile when they see one. With a whole cage full of these buggers on the rampage, no one'll take the blind bit of notice when Zidane jumps in and kidnaps the Princess."

"Anyhoo, that's the plan," concluded Baku. "Any questions?"

There was a brief pause.

"I've got one," said Zidane eventually, who hadn't said a word since they'd entered the meeting room "Who're we workin' for? And why do they want the Princess taken to Lindblum?"

"Afraid that's confidential, Zidane." replied Baku.

Zidane wanted to know the details, but already knew from personal experience that persistence wasn't going to get him any answers from Baku, so he let the subject drop.

"We're nearly at the castle," said Cinna. "Remember, we're working undercover as actors. We can't afford to give the game away, at least until we've captured the Princess. The stakes are high on this one, guys."

* * *

Suddenly, Vivi felt someone ram into him, and he was knocked off his feet. His ticket slipped out of his hands and into the gutter. A little girl leaned over and helped him back up, apologetically. She looked around four years old, had pigtails, and was wearing a grubby green that was covered in patches. The dress had definitely seen better days. 

"Sowwy. I wasn't lookin' where I was goin'," she said.

She picked up his ticket (which was now covered in sewage water) and handed it back to him.

"Here. You dwopped your ticket!" she said, helpfully.

"T-thanks." he said. "Umm... Can you give me directions to the--"

But it was too late. She had already got back into a full run and was now disappearing into the distance.

Someone blew a trumpet. Vivi turned round, and saw a duck in greeting a very elegant man and lady who were dressed in formal clothing.

"Honorable nobles of Treno, this way to the castle, please!"

He was saved. Following the duck and the nobles, he sound found himself in sight of the castle gates. He saw a large sign had been erected which said: 'Theatre tickets must be stamped by the Ticket master before entrance to the castle will be admitted.' He walked cautiously towards the ticket booth.

"Can I help you sonny?" asked the Ticket master, peering over the edge of the booth, looking down at him.

"Uh...Umm..."

"Sorry?"

Vivi reached up to the booth and placed his ticket on it for the man to see.

"Oh."

The Ticket master took a quick glance at it and got his stamp ready.

"That all seems to be orde-- hey, wait a second!"

"Wh-what's wrong?"

"'I want to be your Crow?' Gosh, if you're going to make a fake theatre ticket at least get the name of the play right. Honestly, give people _a little bit_ of credit. Honestly!"

"I-it's not real?"

"'Fraid not, sonny."

The boy lowered his head in embarrassment and began to sob pitifully.

"Oh, gosh. Don't cry now. You didn't make that ticket yourself, did you? In that case, where did you buy it?"

The boy looked up at the ticketmaster.

"F-from a man in Treno."

"The city of thieves? No wonder it wasn't real!"

Vivi continued sobbing.

"Never mind, eh? There's always next year!" said the Ticket master cheerfully.

The boy walked away from the booth with a heavy heart and sat down upon some nearby steps. He'd come all the way, and now he couldn't even see the play. What was he going to do now?

"Psst..."

And to make matters worse now he was hearing voices.

"Psst!" mouthed the voice, slightly more loudly.

His Grandpa always told him that was the first sign of madness. Was he going mad?

"Look over here, you idiot!"

The boy turned his head to the left. Sticking his head out of a nearby alleyway was rat, dressed in a pair of bright orange dungarees.

"M-me?" asked Vivi, worried.

"Yes you, you dolt! Come in here!" he said, indicating the alleyway. Vivi walked over, wondering he was about to be mugged.

"You're the guy with the fake ticket, aintcha?"

"Y-yeah.," he nodded.

"I'm gonna sneak into the castle to see the play! I'll let you come with if you be my slave. You game?"

"U-Umm..."

"You'll do it? Great!" exclaimed the rat.

Vivi was dumbstruck.

"Okay, slave. Your first order is to check if the coast is clear."

Vivi peered round the corner. The only people anywhere near the alleyway was a hippo lady who was scolding her son.

"Y-yeah, it's clear."

"Great!"

The rat ran forward and grabbed a ladder which sat against the wall.

"Follow me!"

The rat ran through the alleyway, back out into the street and then turned right into a steeple. Vivi trailed behind him, unsure of what exactly he was getting himself into. They approached a large bell tower, and the rat laid the ladder down at the bottom of it.

"It's very dangerous," warned the rat. "You go first."

"Umm... okay."

Vivi stepped forward to the bottom of the ladder and looked up. Suddenly, a figure dropped down from the top of the tower and he fell back in fright.

"Kupo! Sorry about that, Kupo!" exclaimed the creature.

Vivi didn't have the slightest clue what it was. In any case, it's body was completely covered in fluffy white fur. It had a small head with two pointy cat-like ears sticking out of the top. It also had a red nose, eyes which were so slit that they almost appeared to be closed, and a shiny red bobble which stuck out of its head, looking very much like a balloon. It's little body had a pair of purple wings attached.

"That's Kupo. He's a moogle," explained the rat, seeing the look of bewilderment in Vivi's eyes. "You've never seen a moogle before?"

Vivi shook his head.

"You must lead a very deprived life," said the moogle sympathetically. "Kupo," he added.

The rat gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"Why do you always call people Kupo? That's _your_ name you idiot!"

"Sorry, Kupo," said Kupo whole heartedly.

The rat groaned, and then turned to Vivi.

"Come on, slave. We're gonna miss the play if we don't hurry!"

He placed the ladder at the bottom of the tower and climbed up, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Vivi looked up nervously.

"Umm..." He hesitated.

"Hurry up!" he shouted down.

"O-okay," stuttered the black mage. He wandered towards the ladder and raised his legs onto the bottom step.

"Be careful, Kupo!" said Kupo, watching intently.

Vivi slowly began to climb up ladder, not moving continuously but raising his feet to the next level and stopping for a second. This made the ascent take twice as long as it would have normally.

"I thought I told you to hurry up!" shouted the rat.

The wind caused the ladder to sway slightly, and Vivi's stomach lurched for a second. He continued climbing, trying with a great effort not to look down to the bottom of the tower, or even think about the fact that he was above the ground. Unsurprisingly, heights really weren't Vivi's forte. Eventually, he reached the top, and clambered pathetically up, onto the small platform that stood below the bell.

"Finally. I was expecting that by the time you got to the top _next year's_ play would be about to start!" said the rat sarcastically.

"Come to think of it, I don't know your name do I?"

"It's... it's Vivi. Vivi Ornitier."

"Vivi? What kind of name's _that_?"

"I don't know," replied Vivi quietly. "My grandpa gave it to me."

"Anyway, my name's Puck!"

Suddenly the bell sprang into motion, ringing directly into their ears.

"Oh, crap," cursed Puck. "I thought we had more time than _that_. The play's just about to start! They're about to close the doors!"

He grabbed hold of Vivi's arm.

"Come on, we've gotta cross quickly.

"W-what? What are we crossing?"

"The roofs, dummy."

Puck pointed towards a series of planks that Vivi hadn't noticed. They started at the tower and led from rooftop to rooftop, eventually reaching the castle.

"We can sneak in that way!"

The planks weren't particularly thick, and didn't look particularly sturdy. It wouldn't take much to snap one. The fact that it was quite windy today didn't help matters. Vivi froze up, and the terror that had only just left him resumed its usual place. This really wasn't his day.

**

* * *

****Author's notes: **

**Well, that's the first chapter over with. Why a novelistion of FFIX? Well, because it's one of my favourite games in the FF series (and of all time). There are a lot of FFVII & VIII novelisations, but after a search for any FFIX ones this site I couldn't find a single one. Either I didn't look hard enough, or their aren't any. Why not fill that gap? **

**Anyway, I'm going to try my best to make this as interesting as possible, and not just a blasé retelling of the game. That means I'll try to expand as much upon the story as possible. **

**Like it says, FFIX: Novelisation is just a working title until I think of a better one. **

**I had originally written a Prologue detailing Garnet's dream, which I couldn't be bothered finishing for now since it isn't all that necessary. I'll probably add it at a later date. Anyway, please give me a review and let me know what you thinks so far. Any feedback is very much appreciated. Chapter 2 will be up soon.**


	2. Showtime

**Final Fantasy IX Novelisation (Working Title)  
Chapter 2: Showtime  
**

Nightfall had cast its shadowover the castle of Alexandria castle, and the two moons of Gaia looked down upon the kingdom. The Prima Vista sat docked in front of the castle, anchored firmly into placein the river, and Vivi and Puck shuffled quietly into the back of the courtyard, taking a place standing behind the back row of seats. The musicians who stood in the orchestral booth were still warming up, but it sounded like they were just finishing off.

"Phew, we're just in time," said Puck. "No thanks to _you_, Mr. Vertigo!"

"S-sorry.."

The trip across the planks hadn't done Vivi's fear of heights many favours.

As the orchestra's piece came to a halt, the crowd burst into applause, and Vivi and Puck followed suit. As he clapped, Vivi gazed up at the balcony where the royal box was situated. Sitting on the throne was a large woman with paleblue skin, a small blue cat-like nose,garish purple lipstick and a strange ornament on her head which looked like the offspring of a crown and two broomsticks.She was wearingan extravagent mish-mash ofclothing, and held acrimson fan inone of hertreetrunk-like arms. Although he would never dream of saying it out loud, she was one of the ugliest people Vivi had ever seen within his short life.

"Umm..._ That's_ the Queen?"

"Yep. Ain't much of a looker is she?"

Vivi's eyes then wandered to the right of Queen Brahne, and he saw a young lady with long brown hair and a white formal gown.

"But, the Princess, she's so..."

"Tell me about it. Either her Daddy was the best looking guy in Gaia or she's some kind of freak of nature."

A noble lady who was sitting in the back row turned round and hissed at them.

"Will you two cretins please be quiet, or I shall call the guards!"

Puck waited until she turned around and then did something rude with his finger.

* * *

Princess Garnet closed her eyes and lowered her head, deep in contemplation, bracing herself for what she was about to do. She knew that her mother would be angry with her, but she had to... for her sake. When her eyes opened once more, the lights had dimmed.

* * *

Steiner held his sword ready, beaming with pride as he prepared to signal the beginning of the play. One, two, three four... 

He lowered the blade, and the orchestra suddenly burst back into life, and a display of fireworks took off before the stage, errupting bright flashes of gold and green. The crowd cheered excitedly, and a few people bounced up out of their seats. The orchestra's stage began to ascend, and as it went up it revealed the scenery for the play. Vivi and Puck got onto their tiptoes and peered ahead, trying to get a better view. A man dressed in costume of a King walked onto the stage and faced the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls! Your majesty, Queen Brahne! And your highness, Princess Garnet! This year's performance is a very special event. Not only does it entail a wondrous night of storytelling , it also marks Princess Garnet's coming of age: her sixteenth birthday! Let us hear a round of applause for her royal highness, Princess Garnet, and wish her many happy returns!"

The crowd burst into polite applause Garnet smiled faintly, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Once the applause had died down, Baku spoke again.

"Tonight's performance is a tale that takes place long, long ago. Our Heroine, Princess Cornelia, has been seperated from her lover, Marcus by her father, King Leo. Determined to be united with her love, she attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by the King and imprisoned. When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses sword with the King. And now, your Royal Majesty, Queen Brahne, Princess Garnet, noble ladies and lords and our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly presents: I want to be your Canary!"

* * *

"Bereft of mother!" began Zidane's character. "Bereft of father! Marcus, thou has lost even thy love!" 

"Fortune hath escap'd thee!" said Cinna. "For what end shalt thou live?"

"For the sake of our friends..." began Zidane. "Let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King Leo!"

"Aye!" replied the others. They ran into the center of the stage where Baku stood as King Leo.

"We shall back thee, kinsman!" said Blank. 

"Pray, sheathe thy swords!" commanded Marcus. "This villain is mine alone!"

Cinna shook his head.

"Nay, kinsman! For I, too, have lost a brother to this fiend!"

"What ho? Out, vermin! Away!" shouted King Leo, withdrawing his sword from its sheathe. "Thou darest bare thy sword before the king? All who stand in my way will be crush'd!"

"Treacherous Leo, my kinsman's suffering shall not be in vain!" cried Zidane. "For I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain!"

* * *

"Why don't they speak properly?" asked a bewildered Puck. 

"Umm... isn't it meant to be olden times?" replied Vivi uncertainly.

"Shut your trap, Vivi. I wasn't talking to you."

"S-sorry."

* * *

Zidane lunged forward and locked swords with the King. Baku knocking Zidane' sword to the floor and disorientating him. 

"Zidane, look out!" cried Cinna who ran forward pushed him aside.

The sword 'impaled' Cinna in the chest. His blade fell from his hands and he collapsed onto the stage floor.

"_Cinna_!" cried Zidane,

"I told you! Now, cease and desist this vain effort or I shall destroy you all!"

"I shall not rest until Cornelia is by my side, villain!" said Marcus. He raised his arms above his head, and cast a spell.

"Poly!" he cried. The magic released a sparkling blue light which exploded and engulfed Baku, who pretended to collapse in pain. It was 'stage magic'. It looked impressive, but actually did nothing whatsoever.

"Arrg... Grr... Thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!"

As the scene progressed, Zidane and Blank quickly darted off stage. Their part in the play was over. It was time for the kidnapping to commence.

* * *

Zidane and Blank emerged from the guard's quarters, dressed from heel to toe in Knight's of Pluto uniforms.

"Do we need to do this, Blank?" asked Zidane, who was getting the faint impresionhis armour's previous occupant had a ratherweak bladder.

"Of course we do. This is a... er... covert operation!"

They heard a gasp from the nearby audience.

"Uh-oh. I think that's the scene where Marcus sneaks into Cornelia's bed chamber starting. We'd better hurry."

"I'll go and spike the Princess's teacup," said Zidane. "When she falls asleep, you let rip with the oglops."

"The royal seats are right up those stairs. Remember, we need to be back on stage for the finale. Make it snappy, Zidane."

He nodded in response, and headed up the red carpeted stairs. Just as he reached the top step the chamber doors to his left opened and a cloaked figure ran out. Not looking where they were going, the person almost bumped into Zidane, and fell back startled when they saw him. The figure was shrouded in a white cloak which was decorated in red trianges around the waist and hood. It concealed the whole body, except for a small gap in the hood for the eyes, and the legs, which held a pair of orange leggings and red pointed boots.

"Excuse me," said the voice, which was that of a girl. "Would you mind... letting me pass?"

"Er... sure," replied Zidane, awkwardly.

"Thank you."

The girl bowed appreciatively, and as she did, there was a chinkling noise. Zidane looked down to where the noise had come from, and a sparking light from her neck caught Zidane's eye. Tied tightly around her neck, was a pendant. At the end of the chain there was a silver model of a crown, and attatched to the crown was a brilliant diamond. Realisation swept in. That wasn't any old pendant. It was the legendary Royal Pendant of Alexandria.

"You're...?"

Realising her fatal error, the girl gave a gasp and clumsily shoved the pendant inside her cloak. But the damage was done.

"_Princess Garnet?_" he mouthed in astonishment.

"I... I must go!"

She ran forward, shoving him out of the way of the stairs with surprising strength. She then sprinted down the stairs, turned left and disappeared from view._ Dammit. _It looked like this wouldn't be as easy as they had anticipated. Zidane hopped back to his feet and darted back down the stairs.

"Zidane? What's going on?" asked a confused Blank who has was standing at the bottom idly.

"That person who just ran past... was Princess Garnet."

"You're serious?"

"Come on, we can't let her get away!"

As the two thieves made their way after her, two jesters poked their heads out from behind the stairwell.

"Did you see that?" asked the blue one, who was named Zorn.

"See that I did," replied the red one, who was named Thorn.

"She's getting away!" said Zorn

"Getting away she is!" reitirated Thorn.

"This is terrible."

"Terrible this is."

"Queen Brahne will have her heads!"

Our heads Queen Brahne will have!"

"We must hurry and tell the Queen!"

"Hurry and tell the Queen, we must!"

"I wish you would stop doing that."

"You would stop doing that, I wish."

* * *

Garnet reached the bottom of the stairs and ran for the courtyard doors. She thrust them open and ran out onto the marble grounds, turning left at the fountain and towards the West tower. Those two men were still chasing her, but she wasn't worried. She had been planning her escape for months, and had gone over every single detail of the castle in case there were complications like this. She knew how to get rid of them.

* * *

Zorn and Thorn ran into the royal box which sat on the balcony. Steiner stepped forward to demand an explanation for their presence. 

"Yes?" he said strernly. "What are you two doi--?"

"What business do you have in here?" interrupted Beatrix, stepping forward.

"Curse that Beatrix," mumbled Steiner under his breath.

"General Beatrix, we have grave news!"

"Grave news we have, General Beatrix!"

Beatrix was dressed in silver plate armour. She had shimmering brown hair which had been styled into curls at the edges, and wore a white patch over her eye as an everlasting reminder of an old war scar. The veteran general rolled her eyes impatiently. As you might expect, getting information from Zorn and Thorn took twice as long as it would from anyone else.

"Yes? Spit it out."

"We must see Queen Brahne!"

"See Queen Brahne we must!"

"Her majesty is busy. Why must you see her?" asked Beatrix.

"It is Princess Garnet."

"Princess Garnet it is."

"The Princess is in trouble?" screamed Steiner, horrified.

"The Princess? What is wrong with her?" asked Beatrix, somewhat more calmly than Steiner.

"She is in grave danger!"

"Grave danger she is in!"

"I command you to speak normally," she said in a threatening tone. "If the Princess really is in trouble then you shall not waste any more time."

And so the pair explained what they had just seen to her.

"I will inform her majesty at once."

Beatrix approached the Queen, who was currently waving her fan furiously, a sure fire sign that she was enjoying herself. Beatrix knew she wouldn't appreciate the interruption.

"Your maje--"

"No interruptions!" she snapped. "Can't you see I'm watching the play?"

Beatrix bowed.

"Please forgive me, your majesty. It's about the Princess..."

"Garnet? Yes, she did leave her seat a short while ago."

"Your majesty, Princess Garnet was seen leaving the royal chambers in disguise, carrying the royal pendant. It seems that she intends to leave the castle. She was being persued by two suspicious looking characters, disguised as guards."

"What on earth... what could that girl be thinking?" said Brahne, still not taking her eyes away from the play. She hesitantly turned around.

"General Beatrix!"

"Yes, your majesty!" saluted Beatrix.

"And, er... Captain..."

Steiner ran forward.

"...what was your name again?"

"Adelbert Steiner, your majesty! Captain of the Knights of Pluto!" saluting slightly more enthusiastically than necessary.

"Oh, yes. That's the one. Both of you, find Garnet. Do not allow her to leave the castle. I don't know what she's thinking of, but we _can't let her get away with it._"

* * *

Zidane and Blank ran out onto the grounds and continued running after the fleeing Princess as if their lives depended on it. She wasn't too far ahead of them. If they kept running they might be able to catch up. 

"Stop, Princess!" panted Zidane as they turned left up the pathway.

"We're not going to hurt you!" cried Blank.

And it was true, too. The deal explicitly stated was that no harm was to come to her whatsoever. She ran up the path towards the watchtower that lay to the right side of the castle. Just as she had entered the tower she suddenly skidded to a halt and grabbed hold of a lever that sat on the wall. She then continued making her way up the hallway. The hinges of the iron gate above the entrance began shaking violently and started to descend. She was locking them out. Zidane gritted his teeth and upped his pace. He _would not_ let her get away. Upping his pace, he managed to dive under the gate just before it met the ground, but Blank was too late.

"Dammit!" screamed his fellow theif, kicking the gate which blocked him.

Zidane didn't look back at his friend. All he could concentrate on was the princess. He could see her up ahead, starting to ascend the spiralling steps of the tower. Suddenly, he grinned. He now knew that he had her. When the Princess got to the top, she would have nowhere else to go. The cat was in the bag.

* * *

As Garnet ran up the spiral steps, she bit her lip. She was in a difficult position, and she knew it. Unless she pulled off something short of spectacular, she was at a dead end. But then she got an idea. Maybe she could do it... maybe.

* * *

Garnet reached the top of the tower and ran out. She stopped, and gazed out 

"End of the line, Princess," said Zidane, making no effort to disguise the gloat in his voice. "Though I have to admit, that was a pretty impressive display back there. You're pretty athletic for a girl who just sits around in a castle all day."

She turned her head round.

"Why, thank you," she replied with a false senerity.

"Come on. Enough games. You're coming with me."

"Oh...?"

Garnet walked and climbed up upon the stone battlements. She twirled back round to face Zidane, and smiled.

"Wh-what are you doing?" he asked nervously. If the Princess decided to jump off and decorate the castle grounds with her the remnants of her mangled corpse, that would put a real damper on their plans.

"You've done very well," said Garnet. "But I'm afraid it is _you_ who has reached the end of the line."

She closed her eyes, and lent backwards. Her weight gently drifted over the side of the tower and vanished.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**Woo, a cliffhanger. Or it would be, if most people reading this hadn't completed the game 50+ times anyway.**

**Not as satisfied with this chapter as I could've been. I'll be the first to admit I rushed a few things in my eagernes to just get on with the story. I think the play itself could have been better done, and I ended ****up cutting Zidane and Blank's fight scene since I'd make a dogs ear of writing it. Maybe one day when I'm a better writer I'll go back and make a second draft, fixing all these little annoyances of mine.**

**_Feedback to reviews of Chapter 1._**

The Red Mage Yuki: **Thank you very much. I'll try keeping the character's all as true to the game as possible.**

Gemini Dragonheart: **Thanks for letting me know about all my spelling mistakes. I've fed Chapter 1 into word, fixed it all and uploaded it again (hopefully) error free! ;-)**

Aqua Phoenix1: **Thanks. Original scenes are something that I'm trying to implement as much as possible, especially for the characters who seem very interesting at first but then seem to be utterly forgotten about lateronin the game(CoughFreyaCough).There aren't that many original scenesat the start of the story, but I think I'm going to get lots moreleeway for them a bit later on (say, after Evil Forest).**

**By the way, my PC is (finally) off getting fixed, and I'm currently writing this with my Mum's laptop. For some reason or other (probably since this is craptacular Internet Explorer instead of good old Firefox) Fan ignoring spaces between some words and mashing them together. So if you noticed any of that at all, that's why.**

**Chapter 3 will be up ASAP.**


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